


The Crimson Bolt

by HaiseSasaki1



Category: Brightburn (2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-05-19 04:05:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19349143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HaiseSasaki1/pseuds/HaiseSasaki1
Summary: An offshoot story based in the same universe as Brightburn. This story will follow a lonely teenage boy who discovers that he has gained super speed after being doused in chemicals and struck by lightning. What will his newfound powers transform him into?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoy this. This is more like a draft for me. It's all for fun! Similar to how Brandon is almost a spin-off Superman, Galileo is almost a spin-off Barry Allen. His abilities will be loosely based on the idea of the Speedforce from DC. For Leo in particular, it'll be based on the Negative Speed Force. 
> 
> Brandon will most definitely appear eventually. This is in the Brightburn universe after all; Brandon's actions are bound to start affecting the world at large. I hope you enjoy the first chapter!

“Mom, can I ask you something?” 

The shock on her face was either because she was surprised that I’d left my room, or because she was surprised that I was asking her for advice. Maybe both.

I normally wouldn’t bother her with something so small, especially while she was watching her favorite TV show, but I couldn’t decide on my own. 

“Uh, sure.” She replied. Her hesitation vanished a moment later and she turned her body away from the TV, her full attention now on me. “You can always ask me anything.”

With her looking right at me, I couldn’t help but to admire the looks that we shared. I got my blonde hair from her, even if her hair was much longer then mine. People always say that we look alike, and I suppose it was true. Apart from the fact that her eyes were brown. I must have gotten my green eyes from my biological father.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts, before continuing. 

“So, there’s a party at the school tonight.” I turned my gaze away from her excited face. “I’m not really sure if I should go or not, but I wanted to ask your opinion… I can’t decide. Plus, I’d need a ride.”

Up until this morning I was adamant about not going, but something changed that today at school. Or well, someone. Just the thought of her sent shivers down my spine; which was quickly followed by crippling nerves. God, this was unbearable. Every time I thought about not going and just playing video games, there was this unavoidable desire to see her face. 

And that is what led me to my Mom.

“Of course you should go! It’ll be fun!” Her face was vibrant and in that moment, I knew that I’d messed up. Now I’d have no choice but to go. I tried to protest, but 10 minutes later I was in my step-father’s car on the way to the school. 

The car ride was silent for the most part. I kept my head pressed up against the car door window, looking outside and trying to calm my nerves. Marvin kept trying to start a conversation, but I was too nervous to listen. 

“So… Who is she?” Marvin’s voice finally caught my attention. I turned slightly so that I could get a better look at him, deciding whether I wanted to answer the question or not. 

“Hmm, so there is a girl? You wouldn’t have reacted if there wasn’t.” Marvin chuckled to himself, while eyes were still firmly on the road ahead. In small ways he resembled me, the short hair and other aspects, but that was about it. He was just my step-father after all.

“Haha. Great detective skills.” I replied dryly, turning my attention back to the street. “Do you want a medal, Mr. Sherlock?” 

“It’s actually Mr. Holmes.” He corrected with another chuckle. “Anyway, let’s cut to the chase. Who is she?”

“Who said that there’s a girl? I don’t remember saying that.” I said in denial. From the corner of my eye, I saw him look at me and the goofy smile on his face.

“Don’t forget that I was your age once. If there’s anything that can drag you out of that dungeon you call your room, it’s a girl.” He said, his voice oozing with confidence. I took a deep breath and crossed my arms over my chest; my lips curving downwards. 

My room wasn’t a dungeon and I did leave it sometimes... Well, when it was time to eat and time to use the bathroom.

Slightly hurt by his comment, I took a deep breath and grumbled. “What do you want?”

“My bad, I didn’t realize that it was a crime to wonder what’s going on in my son’s life.” He said sarcastically while his fingers drummed against the steering wheel. “I just want to know about her. What’s she like?”

I couldn’t stop my eyes rolling back. I tightened my arms across my chest and made it very apparent that I was avoiding looking in his direction. 

It’s not that I didn’t want him to know about her… Well, I didn’t, but that’s besides the point. I hadn’t told anyone about her yet, and if I told him, that’d be one too many people. Then he’d bug me about it until the freaking apocalypse.. 

“How about this, if you tell me about her, I won’t tell your mom about her. Deal?” My brain took a pause for a moment and I groaned out of annoyance. 

Marvin knowing something was one thing, but my Mom knowing it was taking it to 100 and then adding infinite. 

“Are you bribing me?” I turned to him, only to be met with a victorious smirk. “You can’t tell Mom, she’ll bother me about it forever. That’d be torture!”

“Hmm, that sounds like a ‘you problem’.” He shrugged his shoulders and turned back to the street, the same smirk still on his face. “Unless we have a deal?”

“Her name’s Zaria.” I said without a moment’s hesitation. I almost instantly regretted it though, when I saw a massive sparkle of interest form in his eyes.

“And?” He prompted me on. I felt heat rushing through my face and burning in his cheeks. 

“She’s pretty.” I started slowly. “Like, the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.” I mumbled the rest quickly, hoping to the heavens that he wouldn’t hear it.

“What else? What’s her personality like?” He kept on, but this time my words died in my throat. I opened my mouth to reply, but closed it a second after. After sometime, I managed to find the words that I was looking for. 

“I… I don’t know much about her personality.” I said under my breath. I felt the heat spreading again and I stared hard at the blurring buildings outside. “But she looks like she has a nice personality?”

“You don’t know much about her personality?” His voice sounded completely confused, and I couldn’t blame him. This conversation was embarrassing as it is, but now it was approaching unbearable

“You’ve at least spoken to her right?” He asked me. The disbelief was clear in his voice. And now it successfully reached the unbearable stage. 

It was true. I hadn’t met her properly yet, but I knew her. We’d been in the same class for years. But I hadn’t actually noticed her… Well in this way until recently. 

“Champ?” His words brought me out of my thoughts. I couldn’t identify the tone in his voice and my embarrassment quickly warped into something else. My hands curled into fists and my brows furrowed. 

“What?!” I had to control myself so that it didn’t come out as a yell. “I’ll speak to her when I’m ready, alright? Stop pressuring me!”

The car fell back into a brief silence again. I calmed my breathing and stared out into the distance. God, why was it taking so long to get to the school?

“I’m not trying to pressure you, buddy. I know what it’s like. Being nervous to talk to a girl for the first time is normal.” He said slowly, his voice back to it’s normal tone. I scoffed and shook my head. 

“You know what it’s like?” I asked in denial. “Mom told me that you were popular when you were in high school. The guy that everyone wanted to talk to.”

“Popular or not, it was still nerve-wracking to talk to a girl for the first time.” He told me, but I wasn’t buying it. 

Why would a popular kid ever be nervous? I just couldn’t see it. Everyone wanted to be friends with the popular kids. What did they have to be nervous about? Me on the other hand...

“Sure..” I sighed in response. He didn’t respond right away, so took the time to bury my head in my hands and enjoy the silent darkness for a few seconds.

“How about this?” He broke the silence. “If you talk to her today, I’ll buy you anything you want.” 

Now that certainly caught my attention. “Anything?” I asked eagerly, although I tried not to show it. The hesitation on his face was obvious, before he sighed and smiled at me warmly.

“Anything under 200 dollars.” He said confidently. “And don’t try to lie to me either. You know I can tell when you’re lying.”

“Deal.” I agreed wholeheartedly. A grin that threatened to tear my face apart spread over me quickly. I didn’t know what I wanted to get with the money, but money didn’t regularly fall into my lap like this.

“Alrighty then.” Marvin continued driving carefully, a fulfilled smile across his cheeks.

“And you’re still not telling mom?” I asked him hopefully.

“Of course not. That was the deal, wasn’t it?” He said, much to my delight. A few minutes later we arrived at the school. I made sure that I had my phone before climbing out and turning back to Marvin.

“Awesome. Alright. I’ll call you when I’m ready. Thanks.” I turned away after waving. While I started to walk away, I heard the window of the car rolling down.

“Enjoy your night, Leo. Be safe!” He shouted out to me. “No drugs!”

I chuckled at that one last one, even if it was a nervous one. That pretty much defined my actions for the next hour or so. I was just so damned nervous.

When I got into the school hall, the lights were dimmed, but the room was splattered with a multitude of different and bright spotlights. The center of the room had quite a few students in the middle dancing, the crowd thinning out the further out you get from the center. 

I, naturally, placed myself right on the edge of the sea of students. 

Sweat laced my eyebrows and after about 20 minutes of wiping said liquid off of my forehead, it was becoming very irritating. Worst of all, I couldn’t find Zaria. There was just too many students. 

Was this just a waste of time? I felt disappointment fill me, before being replaced with terror. If she wasn’t here, what was the point of being here? I sure as hell wasn’t going to call Marvin back already when I just got here. I’d look like a complete and utter loser. But that would mean that I would have to stay here and stand around like a loser anyway. 

Either way I was a loser. But I’d rather be a loser in front of people that I wasn’t going to know for the rest of my life.

An hour past and I found myself sitting down on a seat against the wall. I swirled the foul tasting lemonade that was in my hand around a few times before sighing. I was about to admit defeat and call Marvin, but as if the heavens were parted, the crowd broke off for a few seconds and I was able to make out a figure in the center of the room. 

Her soft curly black hair bounced across her frame as she danced. Her smile was brighter than the stars in the sky; her eyes as dark as the night. My heart stopped for a second or two when I saw her creamy looking caramel skin. Her entire body was illuminated by a white spotlight. In that moment it was hard for me to distinguish if what I was seeing was real, or if I was staring at the figure of an angel.

“Zaria…” I hadn’t even notice my mouth open. In a moment I was off of my seat and heading towards her. I passed a few students but they were too busy snogging each others faces off to notice me. This was my chance. 

Maybe I was delusional, but I could have sworn that she turned and smiled at me.

The gap in the crowd started to close the closer that I got to her, so I had to start squeezing my way through the other students. Soon, I couldn’t see her at all. I called her name, but it was drowned out by the hundreds of voices overlapping mine. 

Two people burst through the crowd on their way away from the center, and directly in my direction. I managed to dodge the first one, but the second one ran directly into my side, throwing me to the ground.

“Sorry about that!” I barely heard him shout back, before he vanished into the wall of people. I cursed and looked up from the ground at the people standing and dancing around me. They either didn’t notice or they didn’t care. Scratch that, there was no way that they hadn’t noticed.

I struggled to my feet and brushed off my clothes. I felt a trickle of liquid run down my lip, and one lick confirmed that it was blood. 

“Dammit. I hate this school.” I tried to lick some more of the blood off of my lip as I awkwardly walked out of the crowd and towards the bathrooms. I couldn’t talk to Zaria with a bloodied lip, it’d look stupid. 

When I opened the bathroom door, a couple of students ran out past me, almost knocking me over. I could smell the alcohol on their breath as they laughed and giggled. I shook my head and walked in and to the sink. 

I cleaned the small cut a few times before deciding that I needed to wash my face completely. I needed to focus. I washed my face once, and then looked up at myself in the mirror. 

Who am I kidding? She’d never like me. My blonde hair was short and unkempt, looking more like a nest then actual hair. Pimples polluted my face like little craters. I had a scar just under my heavily bagged eyes from when my little brother ‘accidentally’ threw a rock at me when we were kids. And that was just on my face.

I felt nauseous just thinking about it now. I couldn’t talk to her now. It could wait until Monday. We’ll be in class. It’d be much easier then this hell. 

I might seem like a loser, but it was time to call Marvin. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone, while also heading to the door of the bathroom. I opened it and stepped out just as I was about to press the call button. 

“What do we have here?” I froze on the spot, my senses shouting at me to run. I snapped my head up from my phone and was displeased to see the face of one of my primary bullies. John Jr.

He had a scowl on his face and I knew that it meant bad news for me. His night must have been going bad. Not as bad as mine, but bad nonetheless. I turned to the left and noticed that one of his underlings was at my side, blocking my escape route. 

“Can I go? My parents are waiting outside.” I lied, the words slipping out of my mouth far too quickly. I was a few inches taller than him, but the way he glared at me made me feel like I was 4 foot tall. 

“If you lie to me again I’ll flush your head down the toilet.” He told me as he took a step closer to me. I took a step backwards, consequently hitting the wall.

“Is there a reason I’m being harassed right now?” I asked in an attempt to stall some time. My eyes rapidly scanned the room. I needed to find an escape. My heart was beating in my chest.

“No reason in particular. I was just surprised when I saw you here. This isn’t usually your thing.” He said nonchalantly. I could see that he was looking around too, probably thinking of another way to torment me. “I was even more shocked when I saw you looking all star eyed when you saw Zaria.”

My blood ran like ice in my veins. “Zaria? W-What are you talking about?” I stuttered, my brain working in overdrive. I needed to get out of here.

“You need to work on your acting skills. I’ve been able to tell when you’re lying ever since middle school.” He said to me, his frown deepening. “Apparently so could your parents. And the principle. And the cops.”

“I told you, I didn’t have a choice!” I snapped at him, my hands balling into fists. “Maybe if you didn’t force me to ta-”

I saw the punch coming but I didn’t have time to dodge it. His fist lodged itself deep into my stomach, forcing the air out of my lungs and causing me to drop onto my knees. 

“I didn’t FORCE you to do anything!” I heard him above me but didn’t have to strength to look up. “You didn’t have to join us. But you wanted to be cool, didn’t you? Instead of being a damned loser all the time!” 

I needed to get out of here. From the floor, I lifted my head up slightly to look for my best options. I was going to regret this, but screw it. 

“John, why’s your dad here?” I said once I got my breath back. I saw his legs turn and I sprung into action. I pushed off of my heels and went straight into John’s family jewels with my head. A successful and probably painful as hell headbutt. 

I didn’t wait to see his reaction. I bolted away from them as quickly as I could and out of the hall. I didn’t stop running until I found myself in the science division of the school. I ran to a few of the empty classrooms and tried to open the doors but they were all locked. 

I heard footsteps further behind me and I sped up my attempts to open the doors. Finally, when the footsteps were way too close for comfort, one of the doors opened and I fell in. I slammed the door shut behind me and locked it, just in time to hear a body collide with the other side. 

“You’d better unlock this door, right now!” John’s voice was loud but not louder then the sound of my heart hammering against my ribcage. “Unlock it right now, or I swear to God I’ll make you wish you were never born.”

I tried my best to ignore him and calm myself down. I slid down the other side of the door and sat down. 

When I woke up this morning, I didn’t expect that my day would end up with me being chased by bullies and locking myself in the school science lab. But I had to go out of my comfort zone to try to impress Zaria. 

I made the wrong choice. This was shaping up to be one of my worst nights in awhile. I should have just stayed home and played video games.

For awhile I stayed crouched on the other side of the door, listening to the bullies chatting and trying to prompt me to leave the room. I ignored them completely, opting to go on my phone to try to pass the time. 

She didn’t even notice me, did she? I mean, she looked over in my direction and smiled once, so that might mean something, right? 

“I’ll be right there honey. I just need to get something from inside my classroom.” 

My heart stopped in my chest and I leapt to my feet. That was the voice of the school’s science teacher, Mr Zed, or Mr Z, as most of the students called him. He was pretty chill, most of the time, but I was certain that he wouldn’t appreciate me being in his classroom at this time of the night, especially considering the fact that students weren’t allowed into this section of the school during this party.

I scanned the room frantically, looking for a hiding place. The chemicals room. I ran to it as quietly as I could, successfully managing to slip into it a second before the main door opened and he entered the room. 

Thanks to the slits in the door, I could faintly see his outline stalking across the room and to his desk, all while he chatted away to whoever he was on the phone to. Either he looked more intimidating at night, or the adrenaline and the returning beating in my chest was making me overreact. 

Due to the chemicals, the small room had a thick nauseating scent. It stunk. It was hard to breath, especially with my rapid hyperventilating. I put my hand over my mouth to quiet myself. 

I watched him go into his desk and grab something, before heading back to the door. I almost sighed in relief, but was stopped abruptly when his head turned in my direction. I didn’t move an inch as his eyes seemed to roam over mine. It felt like an eternity, but as quickly as it started, it stopped. He turned his head away and left the room.

I finally released the sigh I’d been holding. That was close. I made a motion to move back towards the door, but my foot got caught on something. I hissed and pulled it free, before realizing my mistake. 

Liquid and glass fell down on me from above like a high pressure shower. I threw my hands up in front of my face and dropped to the ground, but not before my face was covered in some of the burning chemicals. 

“Crap. Crap!” I blinked rapidly, trying to get the liquid out of my eyes. If anything, it just made it burn even more. The smell of the chemicals was now unbearable. I felt consumed by it. I needed to get out of here…

The world was getting dizzy, and a second later I felt myself slip on the wet surface. I tried to reach out to grab something as I descended, but when I felt the entire structure shift, I knew that I was screwed. 

I hit the ground on my back, the portable shelves collapsing onto my entire body a moment later. The pain of the heavy shelves on my body was enough, but it was nothing compared to the feeling of the chemicals entering my mouth and completely shredding my throat. 

I tried to shout for help, but only gurgling escaped my throat. I couldn’t push the shelves off of my body, and I felt my consciousness slipping. I didn’t want to die like this. It hurt so much. 

Once when I was in 2nd grade, I stepped on an ant hill and was bitten by 2 fire ants. Back then, I thought that it was the definition of true pain. But this right here was an entirely new level. Now, it felt like I was being bitten all over simultaneously and repeatedly. It was as if ants were crawling and nibbling inside of my mouth and all the way down my throat.

Was this meant to be my last moments? I didn’t have anything else to offer the world? 

I tried to push the shelves off of my body, failing miserably. That was the last bit of energy I had left. Everything was so dizzy now. My head felt like it was filled with lead, and soon enough I was staring directly up at the ceiling. Was there always a sky light in this room? I hadn’t even noticed until now.

I would have done anything to get Mr Z back here to help me. 

I stared up and out of the sky light, despite the rapidly falling rain blocking my view from the night sky. I wished that I could see it one last time. 

Would my Mom miss me? I hoped so. I was already missing her. I felt myself tearing up despite the pain and near loss of consciousness. She wanted for me to make friends so much. She encouraged me to go to the party because she was worried that I was alone.

She wasn’t wrong. I was alone. I didn’t have any friends. And that was how I was going to die. 

I drifted off thoughtlessly, while my world was consumed by white.


	2. He's Awake

**Mr Zed**

I hated these parties. Teens running around being idiots in the school for hours while only a handful of teachers tried to keep them in check. It was only a matter of time before they caused some havoc. 

Fortunately for me, I had made plans to leave halfway through as soon as I got wind of the idea. Nothing was going to stop me from leaving and going back home to my wife and newborn. Only God knew, I needed a break from this school…

The moment that I walked into the science department of the School, I heard rapid stomping of feet and saw two students tearing through the hallways and out of my sight. 

“No students allowed outside of the assigned hall!” I shouted out to them, but I knew that they were long gone. “God dammit! Stupid kids!” 

My phone began to ring a second later, pausing my annoyance. When I pulled out my phone, all of my annoyance ceased and I warmly smiled, before answering. 

“Hey babe, where are you?” The calming voice of Cerina, my beautiful wife, spoke through the phone. I shoved the phone up against my ear with my shoulder so that I could fetch the keys to my classroom from my bag. 

“I’ll be right there honey. I just need to get something from inside of my classroom.” I told her casually while approaching the door. 

“You said you’d be back by now, what kept you so long?” She asked me. She wasn’t critical, however, just concerned. “Let me guess, some of the kids escaped again?”

“Bingo.” I sighed in response. I shoved my key into the hole and opened the door, taking a step inside and closing it behind me. “Turns out, we don’t have enough teachers for an event this big. What a shock.”

“They asked you to stay, didn’t they?” Cerina asked me. I hurried to my desk and opened the draws, hastily rustling about to find the thing that I was looking for. 

“Of course they did.” Even in the darkness, I was able to find the ball shaped object hidden in the draw. “Wanna guess what I said?” 

“That your wonderful wife is recovering from childbirth and needs you home immediately?” She asked through the phone, her tone playful. I chuckled to myself and examined the object that I’d been looking for. 

A small wooden rattle. It was mine when I was a baby, hand crafted by my grandma. My parents only recently found it and gave it back to me, just in time for the birth of my first born. I smiled at the rattle for a few seconds, before pocketing it and heading for the door. 

“Yes. My little damsel in distress.” I said with a sly grin on my face. When I got to the door whoever, I stopped, my eyes scanning the room. 

“Oh, don’t call me that. You know I’d kick your ass in a fight.” Cerina laughed back, but my mind was preoccupied looking over the room. Something seemed off, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

Was the room to the chemical room always closed? I thought that I’d left it ajar? 

“Babe? Is everything okay?” Her soothing voice cut me right out of my thoughts. My eyes cut back to the exit and I reached for the handle, forgetting about my suspicions. If a student was in here, they’d find their way out eventually. 

“Yeah, sorry about that. It’s nothing.” I reassured her. I left the room and locked it behind me, before slowly heading down the hallway and out of the school. To my comfortable home and wonderful home. 

It wasn’t until the next morning that I found out that a student had been trapped in the chemical room when I came in. I wasn’t exactly sure how he was alive, actually. All of the chemicals that had fallen onto him and gotten into his body should have surely killed him. And that wasn’t even including the _lightning bolt_ that I was told broke through the skylight and struck his half dead body. 

But he was alive.

It was a miracle, but one that helped me sleep at night. If he had died that day, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. I had been so preoccupied with getting home to check if a student was potentially hidden somewhere in my room. My _extremely dangerous_ room. 

He was a gifted student, from what I remembered. He was quiet and didn’t talk much, but his test results had been some of the best in the class. I would have tried to speak to him more and get him out of his comfort zone, but there was just too many students to teach, and focusing on one would have messed up my teaching timetable.

I was disappointed, but not very surprised when there wasn’t much talk following Galileo’s accident. The little that I did hear was disheartening and made me a little sick to my stomach. I had almost forgotten that teenagers could be so cruel. Just days after the accident, I caught some of the students referring to him as the ‘lightning rod’. 

Unfortunately, the name stuck. 

Winter came and went quickly, finally gracing us with spring. My life was great and my family was happy, but I just couldn’t get the accident out of my head. The idea that I could have prevented it was like a nightmare hanging over my head.

All of that changed when I received a two word message, on a sweet spring morning. 

‘He’s Awake.’ - Mrs and Mr Avery

 

**Mrs Avery**

 

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I stared down at my unconscious boy. My first born laying weak on a hospital bed, his breathing barely visible. I wiped the tears from my wet face and settled down on the seat by his side. 

His beautiful sandy blonde was gone. They said that the heat from the lightning bolt that struck him completely burned it off, including sealing the pores. His skin was botched and covered in burns. There were 3rd degree burns around his face and the rest of his body; some not just from the lightning.

I tried to sue the school the moment that I found out what happened, but I was advised against it. Galileo shouldn’t have been in that room; it was as simple as that. Why was he there? I still didn’t know the answer.

It was 4 months since I’d convinced him to go to that damned party. He wasn’t sure about going, but I pushed him. I told him that he’d have fun. Was I so wrong to want my son to have some friends?

He insisted that he had friends at school, but I knew better. He didn’t once mention them, nor did he ever ask to hang out with anyone outside of school. That was why I was so persistent with him going to the school dance. I felt the lump in my throat grow, as I looked down at the results of my persistence. 

“It wasn’t your fault.” A calming voice whispered into my head. A soft hand crept its way across my back, gently massaging at it before settling on my shoulder. “You were just looking out for him. That’s being a _good_ mother.”

I looked up into the concerned and soft brown eyes of Marvin, my husband. I feel myself ease into his arms, before I slowly turn back to Galileo. Everything felt better when I was in his arms; even if it was a nightmare like this.

“What if he never forgives me? What if he doesn’t…” My throat tightened around itself and I felt the tears building in my eyes once again. I didn’t want to entertain the possibility that he’d never wake up. The doctors have been trying to prepare me for the worst but I would never accept it. No matter what it costs, I was never going to give up on my baby.

“Shh… He’ll wake up. Just have hope.” His soothing voice alone wasn’t enough to calm me down this time and the next thing I knew, I was in his comforting embrace, my head nuzzled into his chest.

All I needed to do was hope. 

“What the fuck…?” Marvin’s arms tightened around me and his voice shifted from shocked to confused in an instant. I heard the sound of static and my eyes snapped open.

The room was plunged into darkness; the only light present coming from the moonlight pouring in from outside. Was there a power outage? My heart sank in my chest and I quickly ran over to the machines that were keeping my son alive. 

“They’re off…. Honey, they’re off…” I could barely hear my own voice over the blood rushing through my head. I moved around, frantically trying to find another power source in the small room. “If the power stays off, he’ll die! Help me look for something!”

After a few seconds of rapidly moving around hospital equipment, I turned back to Marvin and couldn’t prevent the roar that escaped my throat. 

“Why aren’t you helping?!” Silence followed. I knew that something was wrong the moment that I saw his face. He wasn’t looking at me at all. He was staring at Galileo’s bed. Why?

My question was answered the moment that I turned to face where my son lay. Or where he used to lay. Now, he was sitting up straight, his eyes wide open in alert. Bewilderment was evident on his face, but that wasn’t the most shocking part. No, the most shocking part was his eyes

They were a burning red; reminiscent of the fiery depths of hell.

What looked like red sparks flickered off of his body, and in the same moment, the TV in the room exploded. I screamed and jumped back, and in the short moment that I closed my eyes to blink, the lights were back on. The sound of generators running filled my ears, overshadowing the rapid thumping in my heart. 

Did I imagine all of that? One look at Galileo’s bed told me otherwise. He was still sitting up. He wasn’t asleep. My mouth slowly parted when I took an even closer look at him. 

The skin on his face was a fresh pink, like the flesh of a salmon. There were no more burns… I took a step towards his bed and reached out to touch him. I gently touched his arm and he slowly turned to me. His eyes were back to their original green. I must have imagined the red. 

It was like a switch flicked, and in that moment he realized that there was a tube going down his throat. It didn’t take long for him to pull it out, despite my hesitation to let him. As soon as it was out, he panted rapidly, as if he’d never taken a breath of air before in his life. 

“M-Mom…” His voice wasn’t at all hoarse. It sounded as if he hadn’t gone into a coma at all. I didn’t stop myself from wrapping my arms around him as tightly as I could.

I would never let go.

 

**Leo**

 

It was about 5 days before they finally discharged me, even though I was perfectly okay on day 1. They wanted to make sure that I was okay, but by every means, I was _more_ than okay. 

The doctors said that it was a medical miracle. Nothing like this had happened in the entire history of mankind. Even making it past 2 months of being in a coma was rare, and still, the people that woke up from a coma 2 months long usually had intense brain damage and their muscles were ruined.

I was the opposite.

My muscles were more defined now and my brain was shown to be working at a slightly faster rate than it had before. Heck, I even had a six pack now! How crazy was that?

My family was relieved and have been showering me with attention ever since I woke up. I couldn’t say that I didn’t appreciate it. The last thing that I remember before waking up in my hospital bed was thinking about them. Maybe my love for them was what kept me latched onto the world of the living. 

“Dinner will be ready in about an hour. You’ll probably want to go settle back in your room. We left it exactly how you had it.” Mom told me when we got back into the house. I took a deep breath and looked around the living room. 

Everything looked the same as before. It didn’t feel like I was gone at all.

“It’s true, they wouldn’t even let me take your PS4 out of your room.” Zach, my little brother, said absentmindedly. I could hear him walking into the house behind me, struggling with my suitcase. “I told them that it only made sense that I took it. I mean, it looked like you were going to stay a Sleeping Beauty for the rest of your life.”

“Hey; that’s not funny.” Marvin snapped quickly, following behind Zach. “Apologize to your brother right now. He could have died.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m alright.” I said quickly, dissolving the argument before it began. “Thank you for keeping the little demon out of my room.

“Psh, whatever.” Zach mumbled under his breath as he placed my suitcase at the bottom of the stairs. I walked into the kitchen, where Mom was already starting to get busy. 

“So, what’s for dinner?” I asked her to catch her attention. She looked over to me with an expression that made me feel all warm inside. 

“Your favorite. Spaghetti and meatballs.” She replied happily, before going back to messing around with the ingredients. I had absolutely no idea what she was doing but the end result was always good.

“Perfect.” I looked around and sighed. “Alright, I guess I’ll go upstairs and get comfortable again.”

“Zach, help him with his sui-” I heard Marvin calling from the other room, but I was quick to interject.

“No, I’m alright.” I jogged back into the living room and up to my suitcase. “I’m not going to break or anything.”

“Alright. If you feel sick or even a little bit off, shout down to us!” My mom shouted from the other room. I nodded my head as I grabbed the handle of my suitcase and started to haul it up the stairs. 

I really must have been there for a long time, because this suitcase was heavier than I expected.

It almost felt like a dream to think about. Had I really been out of it for 4 entire month? It felt no different than before, except for the fact that the snow was gone now.

I passed by the hallway mirror once I’d cleared the final stair, and I frowned at my reflection. I had a hat on now, but I knew that my precious hair was now gone. It was growing back faster than I expected, but right now it still looked like a buzz cut.

Thankfully, I didn’t need to go back to school until I felt ‘ready’. 

A smile spread across my face at the thought. I was going to milk that dry.

“Hey, you know I wasn’t serious about the sleeping beauty thing, right?” Zach’s voice caught me off guard, but I resisted the urge to jump. I turned to face him and raised an eyebrow. 

“I was tryna make a joke.” He chuckled nervously. His hands flopped at his sides and he fidgeted with his jackets edges. 

He was almost a perfect mirror image of Marvin. Short black hair and dark brown eyes. He was obviously much smaller, and less muscular, but who expects a 12 year old to be ripped? 

I hadn’t seen him this nervous in a long time. Probably since the day that I met him. Honestly, I thought that he grew up and was now immune to nerves. He was always the one glossing over serious subjects with completely out of place jokes. That was why watching him standing there acting jittery made me a little uncomfortable.

“I know, don’t worry.” I waved him off, while also turning to my room. I got a hold of the handle, before looking back and seeing him standing in the same place. “You want to tell me something else?”

“No…” He looked away, before turning his gaze down to my feet. “Well…”

My eyes went wide when he took a step closer to me and wrapped his arms around me in a tight embrace. When was the last time that he hugged me? I couldn’t remember. It took me a few seconds before I returned the hug.

Before I could find the words to respond, he broke off the hug and ran off into his room. I stood in shock for a few moments; processing the event that just happened. The reality was slowly creeping on me. I really _had_ been asleep for 4 months.

 I shook my head to clear my thoughts, before opened the door to my room. Immediately, I was hit with a smell that almost made me gag. 

I took a step in and closed the door behind me. Had my room always smelled this bad? I shook my head in denial, while also covering my nose with my hand. Impossible.

They hadn’t lied when they said that my room was exactly the same as when I left it. My clothes were thrown everywhere, my snacks still all over my bed and my desk. My laptop was still open, but obviously turned off. I cringed at the moldy pizza slice that was sitting on top of my dresser. Gross. 

I needed to clean up.

I locked my door behind me so that no one could walk in and see the crapfest; and then I got to work. Hopefully it didn’t take too long, I probably didn’t have much time.

It was a surprise but a welcome one, when I didn’t get tired at all while running around and tidying everything. Instead, I felt an exciting energy bubbling up inside of me that I’d never felt before. I didn’t want to rest at all. I needed to move. 

After some time, I was satisfied with the state of my room. All of my clothes were either in my closet, my dresser, or my overflowing laundry basket. The pizza and all of my scattered snacks were in my trash can, which I was about to bring downstairs. The smell wasn’t as bad, but I definitely needed some air freshener.

For the first time, I could actually say that I enjoyed cleaning my room. Or maybe it was the fact that I was doing something other then sitting down playing video games?

I picked up the trash can and unlocked my door, before heading downstairs. Once I got to the bottom of the stairs, I peeked into the kitchen and watched as Marvin and my Mom helped each other cook. 

Wait, how are they only now making the spaghetti? Isn’t that the first step?

“Hey buddy. You looking for something?” Marvin asked me when he caught sight of me peeking. I nodded my head and entered the kitchen fully.

“Yeah, do you guys know where the air freshener is? I just finished cleaning my room and for some reason, it smells like an animal died there.” I asked them with a nervous smile. Mom went into a cupboard and pulled the air freshener out, while Marvin looked at me with an amused grin.

“It’s always smelled like that.” He chuckled as he put salt into the pasta pot. “I still haven't solved the mystery as to how you weren’t affected by the stench.”

“Wow, that must have been a _thorough_ cleaning.” Mom said with a slight smile. Her voice was practically dripping with sarcasm, so I raised an eyebrow. She handed me the bottle before continuing.  “It took you a grand total of what, 2 minutes?”

“I think he might be setting a new record.” Marvin cut in immediately after. She both went back to cooking while I stood there in confusing. 

“What do you mean? I was in my room for almost an hour.” I told them, although my voice wasn’t as confident as I felt. Had it been an hour? My phone was dead so I hadn’t checked it, but it definitely felt like a long time. Hell, scrubbing the gum off the bottom of my desk took at least 15 minutes.

The look that they gave me made me want to reconsider mentioning it completely. 

“You just went upstairs.” Marvin said with a furrowed brow. He pointed at the digital clock on the wall. “Look.”

I gulped when I saw that they were right. Only about 5 minutes had passed since we got back home. But that didn’t make any sense. 

“Are you feeling okay?” Mom was worried. I could tell by her voice. She walked over to me quickly and put her hand on my head. I let her.

“Yeah, Mom, I’m fine.” She didn’t seem convinced. “I promise.”

“He’s probably fine. Hospital wouldn’t have released him if he wasn’t right?” Marvin interjected, although I could tell that he wasn’t confident either. Honestly, nor was I.

The doctor said that being in a coma can affect your brain and ruin it. Maybe that’s what was happening?

But I didn’t feel ruined. And I definitely didn’t want to go to the hospital again.

I became aware that the same energy that was flowing through me before was still present. It felt like a little ball of energy inside of me bouncing around, begging to come out. It was prompting me to move. To run. I couldn’t stand still any longer then this. 

“Guys, I’m going to go for a walk. I’ll be back before dinner, promise.” I told them, trying to put on the best smile that I could. The feeling was getting more and more intense the longer that I stood still. I turned around, put the air freshener on the counter, and then walked over to the front door. 

“Be safe! And if you feel sick at all, call us!” The voice that called to me was indistinguishable. I couldn’t hear it over the buzzing that was coming from inside of me. I needed to run, and I needed to run now. 

As soon as the door closed behind me, the world disappeared in a blur of crimson and the crack of lightning.


	3. Run

**Marvin POV**

“Holy crap!” I had to contain my scream. Was that a lightning strike? That couldn’t be right, it was a clear sky just a few minutes ago.

“Was that lightning?” Joyce asked me as she ran off to the front door. I followed behind her quickly, easily passing her and opening the door before she could. She slipped under my arm and ran to the front gate. 

“He’s gone.” She gasped to herself, frantically looking up and down the street. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion and surprise, and I looked down the street also.

She was right. He was gone. He literally just left a second ago but he was nowhere to be seen.

One glance back at Joyce and I could see the panic forming on her face. She was worried about Leo. I noticed from the moment that he started acting weird in the kitchen that she was nervous. Frankly, I was too. This entire week was bizarre.

One day, Leo is in a coma and on the verge of death, and then the next, he is up and moving like nothing ever happened. Not only that, he was  _ completely _ healed. It was unreal. His skin that had been scarred and burned to a crisp was back to normal, and even his hair was growing back. It was unbelievable.

The doctors didn’t know what to say. There was no scientific explanation for the miracle. By every means, Leo should still be in the hospital trying to recover his body physically and mentally. 

Maybe God did exist? 

A sudden chill cracked through my body, tickling my spine and rattling my bones. Like a ripple in a pond, a haunting sensation spread through my back and reaching the tip of my toes. Haunting red eyes appeared in my minds eye.

And if God existed, so did the Devil. 

**Zach POV**

“Dad?” 

Holy balls, what was that?

I shut off the video that I was watching about the New Age, before jumping off of my bed and running out of my room. It sounded like a lightning bolt struck right outside of the house. My ears were still ringing while I skipped down the stairs 2 steps at a time. 

“What was that? A bomb? An alien spacecraft?” I asked rapidly when I spotted my parents right outside the front door. “Hitler returned from the dead?”

“You never cease being a clown, huh?” Dad sighed while glaring down the street. I took a few steps outside and noticed that the neighbors were starting to leave their houses too. 

“Couldn’t have been lightning, right? So what was it?” I asked quickly as I looked up into the sky. No alien spaceships; check.

“I’m not sure but your brother’s gone. He said he was going to go for a walk, but as soon as he left, the loud explosion happened and he disappeared.” Dad said slowly, his voice maintained and his eyes darting. I could tell that he was anxious by the continuous folding and unfolding of his arms.

“A walk?” I snorted. “Yeah right. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Leo  _ willingly _ go on a walk.” 

“Exactly.” My mom quickly while simultaneously jogging back inside. Well, step-mom, but whatever.  “Honey, we’re going to go look for him.”

“I’m sure that he’s fine. He just wanted some private time!” Dad called back to her as he ran inside to catch up to her. I didn’t follow. I knew that he was going to lose this particular debate. 

It was strange, though, I had to admit. First, Leo wakes up from his coma and heals in a day. Second, he’s physically  _ upgraded _ . But to me, the weirdest of all, was the fact that he went on a  _ walk.  _ That wasn’t like him at all. 

Yeah, his brain must have seriously gotten fucked up.

“Hey, did you see what happened?” My friend from the house next door waved me over and asked me. I shook my head and shrugged. 

Derek was what I’d like to call an adventurer. I knew from the moment that I saw him, that he would be ready to go explore and figure out the cause of the mysterious sound.

“I didn’t see it, but I heard it.” I told him as we began to walk around the neighborhood. “But I mean, I think that everyone heard it. I’m surprised we aren’t all dead; it sounded like a bomb.”

“No, not a burn. I think that it sounded like Brightburn.” His voice was suddenly hushed and quiet. I looked over at him with one raised eyebrow, before turning away. "Remember the video that I showed you where he broke the sound barrier? It sounded just like that."  My heart skipped a beat but I took a deep breath, trying to ignore the chills spreading through me. 

“No way. That stuff is happening all the way in Kansas. We’re in California. What would Brightburn want all the way over here?” I continued my search for any clues; dropping to my knees to look under a few cars. 

“Well, after he completely wasted the city of Brightburn, he’s been moving to other places.” I heard Derek speaking behind me even as I tried to ignore him. “He’s spreading, Zach. He’s c-”

“He’s not real!” I snapped quickly, momentarily stopping my search to glare at him. “Stop talking about it. Please.” 

“Whatever you say.” He shrugged, before turning and walking to some bushes nearby. “I’m just saying it how it is. He’s real, and he’ll be coming soon. We aren’t strong enough to stop him, and I don’t plan on dying like an idiot. If you can’t beat them, join them.”

Silence saturated the air for a few moments. I shook my head to clear my thoughts, but they kept circling, like a putrid tornado of fear. I’d heard things about what happened in Brightburn. That  _ thing _ . It couldn’t be real. 

“I think I found something.” Derek finally caught my attention after a few more minutes searching. When I went over, I looked down at the object in confusion. 

It smelt like it was burning and there were multiple scattered holes in it. Each hole was sizzling, with smoke trailing from the edges. Derek tried picking it up, but hissed and threw it back to the ground as soon as it touched his fingers. 

“It’s fucking hot.” I ignored his whimpering and bent down closer to it. 

Of all the things that I expected to find, a burning sneaker was not one of them.

**Leo POV**

The feeling was unparalleled. My body was charged and brimming with this… This  _ energy. _ Even though I couldn’t see it, I could feel every cell in my body quivering under the wave of pure  _ power  _ that was now flowing through me. Power that was urging me to run. 

And run, I did. 

When I first took off, I wasn’t sure what was going on. The world melted into red, and all I could hear was electricity buzzing. One moment I was closing my front door, and then the next moment I was at my school. Miles away from my house. My legs carried me with the wind. I didn’t object.

The world passed by in a blur of crimson, only pausing when I stopped at specific locations. The school. The city limit. The state border. I couldn’t stop running, but did I want to? 

I’d never experienced anything like it. It was degree of pleasure and satisfaction that I have never, or could never achieve from anything else. No amount of wins in a video game, or getting the best present on Christmas could ever have prepared me for this. 

My heart pounded in my chest, faster than it ever had before. But it didn’t worry me or make me feel like passing out. No matter how far I ran, my legs didn’t give up on me. That was better for me. I didn’t want to stop running. Not ever. 

What happened to me? I looked down at my arms as I bolted past what looked like a blur of buildings. It was as if my mind was finally getting used to the speed in which my body was moving in. Things were starting to become more clear.

In the beginning, I thought that I was teleporting from place to face. However, it soon became clear to me that it was something totally different. It was as if my mind was finally catching up with my body. Even though everything was still zooming past me, I could read each and every sign I passed. I could see everyone’s unknowing faces in every detail while I blasted by. It was incredible. 

I eventually noticed that my clothes were gone too. Probably burned into ashes sometime during the run. I couldn’t care less. If my theory was correct, they wouldn’t have time to see me anyway.

I wasn’t teleporting; I was moving at impossible speeds.

In what felt like no time at all, I’d made it all the way to Utah. If the signs were correct, that is.

From the east of California, to Utah. An entire state over.

It had to be super speed. It wasn’t time manipulation, for sure. Honestly, I didn’t really care which, or even how I’d gotten it. All that mattered now was that I had it, and I never wanted to lose it.

I slowed to a stop eventually, only realizing that I had when I was standing completely still looking over a massive body of water. I was hyperventilating, but not due to lack of breath.

A huge grin spread across my face, my body literally vibrating with excitement. The possibilities were endless. 

But first, I needed clothes and some damn Spaghetti.

**Marvin**

“Alright, I think it’s time to call the police.” I sighed in defeat. I was sure that the worry was clear in my voice, even though I was trying to hide it. I stood at the center of the living room, phone in hand and Joyce in my other.

“You think?! It was time to call them when we first realized that he was missing.” She was angry, maybe even furious, but she kept herself wrapped in my arm. 

“ _ Technically  _ he’s not missing. He said he was going for a run, and it’s only been 2 hours.” Zach chimed in from the couch. His eyes were glued to his phone, so he missed the murderous look that Joyce sent his way. 

“I know, but it’s not  _ normal _ . He just got back home and the first thing he asked to do was go on a  _ run _ .” Joyce mumbled to me, after turning her attention away from Zach. “Not his video games. Not Netflix. He wanted to go outside.” 

“Just look at it on the bright side. Him staying inside all of the time wasn’t healthy for him anyways.” I rubbed her shoulder and leaned my chin on the top of her head. “Maybe being in a coma for so long opened his eyes.”

“He could be lost! The doctors said that he’d probably have some lapses in his memory.” She was relentless. “He’s probably passed out on the street somewhere. He didn’t even take water.”

“Alright. Looks like your mind's made up.” I typed in the number for the police, and pressed call. Around the second ring, there was a flash of red at the window, and then the sound of knocking on the door. It was rapid, more like the sound of a humming bird pecking a tree then a person knocking a door.

“Leo?” Joyce was the first to the door. I followed behind while also hanging up the phone before the police could answer. When she opened the door, Leo stumbled in with his hand on his stomach and sweat dripping off of his body. His clothes stuck to his body like soaked paper.

“Oh my god, are you okay?” Joyce kept asking him repeatedly, even though she kept receiving the same response. It took about half an hour for her to calm down enough for us to start eating.

Leo didn’t even bother to change out of his sweaty clothes before eating. I swirled around the spaghetti in my plate, a knot in my stomach as I watched Leo devouring his third plate of food. Thank goodness that we made so much. 

After he was done, he said his goodnight and hurried up into his room. We all sat in silence for a few more seconds, before said silence was broken.

“So... “ Zach sucked up a noodle into his mouth and sat back in his chair. “Are we going to talk about how weird this is or…?” 

“We? Since when did you get upgraded to adult status?” Joyce tried to laugh, but it turned out more nervous then genuine. “Have a good sleep, kiddo. Love you.”

Joyce sent him to bed with a kiss on his head. He eventually complied. I stood on the other side of the living room and paced back and forth. When we heard his bedroom door shut, we both turned to each other with wide eyes. 

“You were right, something’s going on.” I admitted to her in a hushed voice. She nodded her head and walked closer to me. “Did you see how he was acting?”

“Not even just that. He was wearing different clothes than when he left.” She said with a confused glance at the stairway. “A different shirt, shoes and everything.”

“And then he ate 3 full plates of food?” I took a few steps towards the front door and opened it, letting Joyce out. Out here, we didn’t have to whisper. 

“And I don’t think I’ve seen him look so… So…” Joyce paused for a few seconds and ran a hand through her hair. “Happy? Content? At least, I haven’t seen it in awhile.”

“Wherever he went, he was happy. But it’s still weird.” I leaned hard against the wall and looked out into the neighborhood. “But what’s up with the 3 plates of spaghetti? He usually barely eats 1.” 

“Goodness, Marvin! Forget about the food!” Joyce snapped a glare at me; successfully shutting me up. “Where was he? And where do you think he get those clothes?”

I opened my mouth to suggest the most obvious reply, but I quickly shut it. He hadn’t been at a friends house. Leo didn’t  _ have _ friends. That was painfully obvious when he didn’t get any texts or visits when he was in the hospital. So where else?

“Maybe… Maybe he has a boyfriend? That’d explain the clothes and him lying to us, right?” Joyce suggested in a whisper. I had to stop myself from laughing. “What’s so funny?”

“No, he’s not gay, Joyce. Believe me.” I chuckled to myself.

“And how are you so certain?” Joyce asked me, looking at me with an interested gaze. I shrugged my shoulders and smiled down at her.

“I just am.” She kept up her staring, so I chuckled and looked away. “It’s a secret.”

“A secret? Hmm…” She pursued up her lips and narrowed her eyes. “So, since you’re so confident that he’s not gay, that means that he has a girlfriend and you probably know about it. Maybe he was there. With her.” 

I shook my head and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Doesn’t explain the clothes. But you know what, let’s talk about it in the morning. I’m tired and there’s an uneaten plate of spaghetti waiting for me inside. The important thing is that he’s home and he’s safe.” 

“I mean…” She hesitated, her eyes darting from the pavement up to my face. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders, before opening the door and stepping inside. “Alright, you win this time.”

“Wow, I’m surprised that you gave up so easily.” I said slowly, following her in. She giggled and headed for the stairs. 

“Only because I’m tired. I start work early tomorrow.” She put her hand on the hand rail and turned back to me, blowing me a kiss. “Enjoy the spaghetti. Love you lots.” 

And with that, I was alone with my bowl of spaghetti. It was a confusing first day, but it turned out to be a very good night. After all, we finally had our boy back.

Well, mostly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The first mention of Brightburn and the fate of the city was revealed. Next chapter, Leo will really start to explore his powers. Let me know what you thought! And also, let me know if you like the multiple POV's or if you'd prefer if it had less.


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